French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday had a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The conversation between both the leaders lasted for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
During the telephonic conversation, Putin told Macron that he is ready for a meeting in the IAEA-RF-Ukraine format. However, not in Chernobyl, but in the format of a video conference or in a third country.
Putin also told Macron that Ukrainian Radicals attempted ‘provocation’ around Nuclear Power Plant.
Today’s telephonic conversation was on Macron’s request and was the fourth both the leaders had spoken since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Today’s call came after a tense call on March 3 which Elysee said had left Macron feeling “the worst is to come” in Ukraine with Putin intent on seizing “the whole” of the country.
Since December 2021, Putin and Macron have had 14 contacts, including talks in Moscow.
For the unversed, the French President had earlier this week had said, ‘Worst is yet to come’. He said this after his conversation with his Russian counterpart. Macron had earlier said he will continue to engage with the Russian President in order to ‘encourage him. To give up weapons and avoid the war’ in Ukraine from spreading further.